The CIC Health & Wellbeing Forum Report, published on 19 September 2025 by the Creative Industries Council and Arts Council England, demonstrates how creative activity - from music and theatre to reading, dance, design and immersive technologies - can be used to help treat and prevent illness, reducing pressure on the NHS.

It also highlights how - with the right training and support - wider provision of creative health could also create new job and business growth opportunities for creative practitioners.

The report makes five recommendations to move the creative health agenda forward:

• Expanding opportunities for children and young people to take part in creative activities, in and out of school and hospital settings
• Raising awareness of the health benefits of creativity through a public campaign
• Building and sharing the evidence base to inform health leaders and policymakers
• Strengthening dialogue with the health sector to align with the NHS’s ten-year plan, and
• Supporting the creative workforce through skills, fair pay and wellbeing measures

Case studies in the report include a closer look at the impact of the RSC's rehearsal-based approaches to teaching and learning about Shakespeare on children's well-being, taken from our Time to Listen study.

Download the report and read the case study